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EDITORIAL: No excuse for such poor showing in ICT [Citizen, The (Tanzania)]

(Citizen, The (Tanzania) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) The world is increasingly becoming a global village and communication has been greatly eased in the past few decades, courtesy of the rapid advances in Information Communication Technology (ICT) and, more specifically, use of the Internet to access and disseminate personal and official information almost instantaneously.

Governments the world over now rely heavily on official websites to pass on information.

Almost every section of a government worth its salt will definitely have an online presence and regularly post information on what it does.

It is disappointing, therefore, that the Tanzanian government, its ministries, departments and agencies all have websites that are outdated.

Besides not regularly uploading updated materials, some of the websites have dead links and are not user friendly.

The shortage of ICT specialists is not a good enough excuse, considering just how important this whole thing is.

University graduates of computer science shun public offices due to poor pay. They have instead been flocking to the private sector.

With the next General Election less than two years away, one would have expected the National Electoral Commission, which is playing a pivotal role in this process, to have the best and most informative website in the country.

Advanced electronic voting technology may be far from us but not the Internet, whose usage is growing day by day.

The website is supposed to have everything one needs to know about elections and enable registered voters browse and verify their names.

Also, international and local election observers and others seeking information on our elections would have an easier time accessing the information they so badly need.

With an interactive website, prompt responses to queries would be possible.

By fully embracing ICT, the government, institutions and individuals will be able to easily communicate and gather information to hasten development.